(1) Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to horizontal axis washers and dryers, particularly to washers and dryers for washing and drying clothes and, more particularly, to sealed and insulated washer and dryer doors having the capability to view the interior of the washer or dryer without opening the door.
(2) Description of the Related Art
When the door of a horizontal axis washer or clothes dryer is closed, it is desirable to be able to observe the interior of the appliance without opening the appliance""s door so as to prevent the loss of accumulated water or heat from the dryer. The typical horizontal axis laundry appliance is comprised of a drum that rotates about a horizontal axis. The only technique normally used in the prior art is for observing the interior of the appliance without opening the appliance""s door is utilize an observation window provided in the door. Examples of this former approach are legion, and include U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,559 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,169.
A problem with washer or dryer doors having transparent windows is that it is necessary to bend over in order to be able to observe the interior of the appliance. Also, there are various difficulties associated with sealing and insulating the door adequately and keeping the window clean on its interior surface.
A problem associated with clothes washers and dryers having windowed walls is that such viewing systems can be quite expensive and can require extensive structural modifications of the appliance. Further, such devices are believed to provide less than desirable observation of the interior of the appliance. In part, the difficulty associated with viewing the interior of the appliance, whether with a windowed door or a windowed wall, is that the interior light that illuminates the appliance usually is underpowered and poorly placed.
Desirably, a horizontal axis washer or dryer door would provide a highly effective technique for viewing the interior of the appliance. Any such door preferably would be sealed and well insulated, and it would include a lighting system that would effectively illuminate the interior of the appliance.
In the description and claims that follow, reference will be made to various components of the invention and their orientation through the use of such words as xe2x80x9cupper,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9chorizontally,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cverticallyxe2x80x9d and so forth. The use of such words is in conjunction with a door-closed position as will occur during normal use of the invention. It is to be understood is that the use of such terms of orientation is solely for purposes of convenience. The various components of the invention can be disposed in different orientations and can be described by different words of orientation without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
In view of the aforementioned needs, the invention contemplates a highly effective technique for viewing the interior of a horizontal axis washer or dryer while the appliance is operating, without the need to either bend over and look in the side or open the appliance""s door.
The horizontal axis washer or dryer has a cavity within which clothes may be washed or dried and a marginal edge defining the boundary of the cavity. The door includes an inner panel that in use closes and seals the appliance""s cavity and an outer panel spaced from the inner panel. An upper panel connects the inner and outer panels adjacent their upper edges.
An opening is formed in the inner panel and a first window, preferably in the form of a wide-angle lens, is mounted in the opening in the inner panel. A first light transmissive device is disposed between the inner and outer panels. The first light transmissive device directs light received through the first window toward the upper panel.
An opening is formed in the upper panel within which a second window is mounted. Accordingly, light can pass through the first window, through the first light transmissive device, between the inner and outer panels, and outwardly through the second window. Because the second window is adjacent the upper edges of the inner and outer panels, the user can conveniently view the interior of the appliance with minimal bending. In the preferred embodiment, the first light transmissive device is a negative mirror disposed adjacent the first window.
The invention includes alternative embodiments. A second light transmissive device may be disposed between the inner and outer panels adjacent the second window. In one alternate embodiment, the second light transmissive device comprises a mirror surface coating on the surface of a viewing tube which extends from the first window to the second window. In another alternative embodiment, the first light transmissive device is a concave lens and the second light transmissive device is a light pipe that receives light from the concave lens and directs it through a wide angle lens onto an enlarged second window.
In order to adequately illuminate the interior of the appliance, a light is secured to the inner panel and is positioned so as to illuminate the interior of the appliance when the door is closed. In an alternative embodiment, two such lights are provided, one on either side of the first window. Desirably, the lights are low-voltage halogen lights to which electrical current is supplied by contacts carried by the inner panel and the marginal edge of the appliance. The contacts engage each other when the door is closed, and are disengaged from each other when the door is opened.
As will be apparent, the invention provides an effective, relatively inexpensive technique for viewing the interior of the washer or dryer without opening the door. Among is those benefits and improvements that have been disclosed, other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.